Lest our Fears consume us
by BrittanyJenAnn
Summary: A Navy Lieutenant is hiding a horrific secret and when the team uncovers it, it's one of their own who suffers. A Gibbs/Abby story, with possible Tony/Ziva.
1. Chapter 1

"Got a call from a civilian, screams heard from a Navy Lieutenant's house. Grab your gear."

* * *

The house was nice on the outside, everything painted and the lawn cut perfectly.

"It is almost too perfect." Ziva's announcement was met with nods from the other agents.

There was no car in the driveway, but the garage was closed.

"See this?" Tony motioned to the windows of the house, "They've all got blinds… And all the blinds are closed."

Gibbs turned to McGee, "Go find the civilian who called it in. Name is Wendy Roberts, should be that direction."

McGee started off in the direction Gibbs was pointing and Tony and Ziva began moving onto the porch of the house.

"We can't see in, and I don't hear anything. Maybe we're too late."

Ziva looked over at Tony, but said nothing.

Tony reached out to open the door, "Locked."

"The backdoor is locked too." Gibbs came around the house to look at them.

"No other ways in or out."

"Except the garage, but it's also locked."

Tony looked around, "Must be a lot of crime in the area, there are no nearby neighbors to worry about."

"Closest neighbor is a quarter of a mile away." Gibbs informed them.

"If it was a neighbor who called it in, how she'd hear screams?" Ziva wondered aloud.

McGee came running back into the clearing, out of breath,

"She's not there. The backdoor was wide open, the phone was off the hook and there was a trail of blood leading off the porch before it stopped completely. I got samples and took pictures."

"Someone knew she heard?" Tony and Ziva looked at each other.

"She was mowing her grass, right along the border, it's close enough to hear."

"She heard the screaming, went back to report it, and someone noticed that she wasn't mowing anymore." Tony stared at the house in thought.

"We need to get in there." Ziva was moving towards the door, gun out.

"McGee, you go around back with Tony."

Ziva banged loudly on the door, "NCIS! Open up!"

There was no reply, so she banged once more. When there was still no reply, aimed her gun at the door and shot it once, breaking the lock.

She moved to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. She looked over at Gibbs, moving out of the way as he aimed his gun, making a line of holes up and down the side of the door. The door swung open.

Guns raised, they stepped in, moving through the house quickly. Ziva stopped at the back door,

"Look at this."

Gibbs stood beside her, looking at the locks on the backdoor. There were no less than fifteen different locks, starting at the top of the door and going almost all the way down. Ziva unlocked them all and let Tony and McGee in, showing them the back of the door.

"Was the front door like that too?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Gibbs came back to join them.

"House is clear."

"Someone must be in here. You can not lock most of those from the outside."

"Look again."

The agents moved through the house, checking every closet and space they could find. When they finished looking, they had still found no one.

"Another way out, perhaps?"

Tony shook his head, "I didn't see one."

"Look at this." McGee stood in the kitchen, pointing to an almost invisible drop of blood. He leaned down and used a cotton swab to take a sample.

The team combed the house for almost an hour, picking up any fibers and looking for any possible way out of the house other than the doors.

"McGee, take the samples back to Abby, and bring her back, she'll love this."

* * *

Abby spun around the lab, stopping in front of a wall, she looked up, trying to figure out which of the walls would be best for hanging up her newest picture.

"Abby!"

McGee set a box on the table, "Evidence from a possible crime. Boss wants you to come back to the house with me, we need your help."

She grinned in pleasure, "My help? Why McGee, I'm honored!"

As soon as she had set the samples in the machine, and grabbed one of her many laptops, she and McGee headed back to the house.

* * *

When they arrived, Tony was on the phone outside and Ziva was sitting on the couch inside the house.

"Gibbs!" Abby launched herself at the silver haired man, grinning as he hugged her.

"I have all the samples loaded, and I brought my laptop so I can check on the results."

He grinned, "Good job Abs."

She set her bag down on the couch and looked around, "What are we doing?"

"Looking for a way to get out of the house."

Abby frowned, looking first at the front door then the back door.

"Not through the doors." Ziva motioned to the windows,

"All the windows are unable to open."

Tony came back inside, "Lieutenant Martin hasn't been seen today, he never showed up to work."

"That's some serious lockage!" Abby was examining the back door, "Is Lieutenant Martin paranoid?"

"Not in his medical file," McGee looked up, "He's perfectly healthy. Has only been to the base hospital one time, for a mild case of food poisoning."

Abby frowned, moving from one wall to the other, pressing lightly.

"Already tried that."

Abby looked thoughtfully at Gibbs, "Bedrooms?"

"Nothing we could find. No secret doors in the closets, air ducts all too small, nothing under the beds."

Abby disappeared into the back, looking for any signs or clues to a secret area.

"I don't see anything." She walked back into the living room, walking around the fireplace.

She stopped and turned to face the fireplace.

"Ziva? Can you see the tv?"

Ziva leaned to the side to look at the object in question, "No, the fireplace is in the way."

"Exactly! Who would put a fireplace right between the kitchen and the living room? Most people would put it against a wall. Not in the middle of the room, in front of the television."

Gibbs moved away from the fireplace which he had been leaning on and looked at Abby. "What do you think Abs?"

Abby turned to Tony, "Go outside and find the chimney."

"Aye, aye captain."

Less than a minute later, Tony came back in.

"There's no chimney, I don't think that fireplace is real."

Abby pushed the steels curtains back and ducked inside the fireplace. There was a sliding noise and Abby reappeared, grinning broadly.

"I was right! There's a ladder going up, not very far, it turns to the right."

"Abby, let one of us go up there."

Abby frowned, "No way man! I want to go in there!"

"After one of us. You can't go first."

Abby pouted as Ziva climbed up into the shaft,

"You sure this is safe?"

McGee nodded, "If the Lieutenant knows this is here and uses it, which he most likely does, he weighs 230 pounds, so it should be fine."

One after the other, they climbed through the fireplace.

"It goes down inside the wall, there are no lights."

Ziva pulled a flashlight from her belt and turned it on, carefully climbing down the metal rungs on the wall.

When she wasn't heard anymore Abby called out,

"Ziva, what do you see?"

"There are steps leading down. Come on."

Everyone followed her, those with guns pulling them out.

"Abs, you stay with me." Gibbs reached ahead and grabbed Abby, pulling her back to stay with him.

When he caught sight of the look on her face, he rolled his eyes.

"You don't have a gun, and they know exactly what to do if they come across someone. You stay with me."

He sighed, looking into her eyes, "Abs, I want you safe. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt."

She nodded, seeing the fright in his eyes. "Alright."

Ziva moved ahead, "There are a set of doors, not locked."

Tony on one side, Ziva on the other and McGee in the middle, they moved in quickly. Gibbs and Abby waited back for a minute then moved forward.

The room was large, bright fluorescent lights on the ceiling with bright white walls. There were three wooden doors, each with several locks.

Tony whistled lowly, "What is our lieutenant doing down here?"

Ziva shook her head, "I do not think he is still down here." She pointed to a door at the other end of the hallway.

"I gamble that it goes up, and out."

"You bet."

Ziva looked at confused, "That is what I said."

Tony shook his head, "No, the phrase is "I bet" not "I gamble.""

"Do they not mean the same thing?"

"We'll discuss this later."

"Gibbs, look, blood."

Abby was looking at the bottom of the first door, where a sliver of blood was running out slightly.

Gibbs aimed up at the lock and shot both of them, moving forward to open the door.

A woman with blonde hair lay on the ground, a pool of her blood surrounding her head.

**Chapter one, done. Actually, I've got several chapters already finished, so you'll have regular updates from me. =D **

**There will definitely be some Gabby coming up in the next chapter. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Anyone want to bet that this the neighbor?"

McGee knelt down next to the body, carefully checking for identification,

"Well, she isn't carrying any identification."

Tony looked around, "Anyone else finding this room's décor creepy?"

The room had white walls, with large pink flowers and a canopy bed along one wall. There was a teddy bear rug on the floor and a pink television in the opposite corner. A shelf full of toys was next to the bed.

"What is going on here?"

Gibbs didn't answer, instead he opened the other two doors.

He strode back to the team, "Damn bastard has been keeping little girls in these rooms."

Abby was standing at the double doors and the end of the hall,

"This way leads out. Up a ladder and out into the forest behind the house."

Gibbs looked at her, "Call Ducky and get them out here. You get back to the lab and get ready to work, we need to find him, he's got a little girl with him."

Abby nodded and made her way up the ladder.

As soon as she was out the ground, she pulled out her phone.

"Ducky? This is Abby. We found a body out at the lieutenant's house."

She gave him the address and waited for him to confirm it.

"Super."

When she got back to the office, she turned on her music and waited for evidence and samples to arrive.

* * *

"It appears to be multiple blows to the head." Ducky looked up at Gibbs,

"The first one seemed to have rendered her unconscious, the others were to insure she died."

"The lieutenant's fingerprints are all over everything." Ziva was standing in the doorway.

"There is no doubt that he knew what was going on down here, possibly even started it."

Tony held up a plastic bag,

"We found brown hairs, possibly from the girl he had in the room. We're sending them to Abby."

"We need to find him. Now."

"We shall do our best Jethro. We always do."

Gibbs rounded on the doctor, "Our best is not good enough. He's got a little girl with him."

* * *

_Two days before:_

"_So, kiss him. Find out what he thinks of you, the easy way." _

_Abby stared in shock at Tony, _

"_Tony! That's not how to do it! Girls can't just kiss every guy they think likes them. It doesn't work that way!" _

_Tony shrugged, "It's how I do it."_

_Abby sighed exasperatedly at him, hands moving to her hips. _

"_Girls can not do it that way. If I kissed you, because I thought you liked me, what would you do?" _

_Tony stared at her, obviously contemplating the idea. _

"_Well, you're not bad looking so, I guess I'd kiss you back." _

_Abby glared at him. _

"_I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this! You don't understand the concept of love!" _

_Tony sighed and grabbed Abby's arms, trying to head off a meltdown. _

"_Abby. I was kidding. I know what you're saying. I don't understand it, girls are mysterious, but I know what you're saying. So talk to him." _

_Abby pushed away from Tony and started pacing. _

"_Talk to him? How? How do you talk to a man who never speaks?" _

"_You talk to him, don't you? How do you normally do it?" _

_Abby thought about the various times she'd talked to Gibbs. _

"_I talk to him, but he never talks back. I need him to talk back this time, to tell me how he's feeling. That's not his type." _

"_Abs, you're his type. If you talk to him, he'll tell you how he feels. He wouldn't let you get away. Heck, if I was him, I wouldn't let you get away." _

_Abby turned around to fling her arms around him,_

"_Aw, Tony! You're so sweet!" _

_Tony hugged the bundle of energy back, grinning. He was glad to see that she was back to her normal self, if only until she started worrying again. _

_She pulled away and looked at him._

"_You sure Tony?" _

"_I can see the look in his eyes. He likes you. He might even love you."_

"_Are you sure he doesn't give the same look to Ziva?" _

"_He gives her the same look he gives me. We're like his kids, he loves us, but not that way." _

_Abby smiled, "Thanks Tony."_

_

* * *

_

_Present:_

Abby whirled around, trying to get on top of all the evidence before Gibbs came down to ask what she had.

As if he knew she was thinking about him, he strode into the room.

"What do you got Abs?"

"Not much, I just got everything loaded and ready to go. We should have results soon. We'll find her Gibbs, whoever she is."

He reached out to link his fingers with hers,

"You always know what I'm thinking."

She smiled.

"I make it my business to know you."

He brought theirs hand up, to kiss the back of hers.

"Dinner, you and me, when this case is over."

"Just dinner, or dinner and a date?"

He smiled at her,

"Dinner and a date."

He was staring at her so intently that she blushed, almost unsure of what to say. Before she could decide what to do, he ran the thumb of his free hand down the side of her face,

"Help me find her Abs."

Abby nodded, "I'll do my best."

Before she could move, he leaned in and kissed her forehead, lingering a little longer than usual, and swept out of the room.

Barely able to breathe, she leaned against the table behind her, hoping that they would be able to finish the case quickly.

He wanted to kiss her, but he knew if he started that now, he wouldn't be able to stop. She already crowded his thoughts, and if he kissed her, even just once, he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the case.

He sighed and stepped off the elevator, walking into the autopsy room.

"Well, Duck?"

Ducky looked up from where he busy removing the internal organs of the woman they had found.

"At least three blows to the head, the first simply causing her to fall unconscious. Other than that, she was in perfect health."

"What kind of weapon?"

"A pipe, something metal, maybe even steel. I don't suppose you found one of those laying around?"

"You would have known if we had."

Gibbs made his way back up to the bull pen, waiting for his team to tell him what they had.

"Boss, we've got a BOLO out for Martin's car." McGee was typing furiously at his desk.

Ziva and Tony were standing in front of the monitor,

"Lieutenant Andrew Martin, born July eight 1978. He's thirty-three years old, works as an instructor on the base, teaches lower level classes. Had a strict routine, arrives at work everyday at eight in the morning and leaves every evening at six. Takes one hour for lunch, two fifteen minute breaks during the day."

Ziva began speaking,

"No one in his office has ever heard him talk about anything that is not 'normal'. He likes football, hates baseball, enjoys women, and wants to get married and have kids some day. Nothing in his personal office has suggested that he wants to do any harm to anyone."

Gibbs considered this, "So he keeps his personal life completely separate from his work. Not unusual."

McGee's phone rang.

Tony stared at the picture of Andrew Martin. "Where have I seen him before?"

"Abby says she's identified the brown hair we found in the bedroom." Gibbs started towards the elevator, the team following close behind.

Abby was typing hurriedly, "Her name is Allison Russell, she's eight years old. Her parents filed a missing persons report last month."

A picture of a smiling girl appeared on the screen. Gibbs swallowed hard, trying not to think about the possibility that this little girl was already dead.

He turned around,

"There are three bedrooms in that basement, I want to know who else has been kept down there. I want to know where they are now. I want to know where he hangs out, where he'd go. I want to know where he is!"

The team scrambled away, only Abby staying where she was. She pulled him into a hug,

"We'll find her. If he thinks he can hide from us, he'll keep her alive."

Gibbs suddenly found himself fighting the urge to give up. Abby smelled so good, visions of laying next to her on his bed, ignoring the world swam before his eyes.

"Abs.."

"Go, Gibbs, find her. You can do it."

He straightened, letting go of her, walking out of the room. He stopped at the door and turned to look at her,

"Dinner and a date. Promise."

She nodded, worry in her eyes.

**Lots of Gabby goodness in that chapter. =) I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**


	3. Chapter 3

When he got back upstairs, only McGee was still there.

"Uh, Boss, Tony and Ziva went back to the house, to see what they can find. I'm searching for properties that he or his family owns."

"Agent Gibbs." Director Vance was standing on the landing of the stairs, looking over the room.

Gibbs nodded to McGee before going up the stairs, following the director.

"You're looking at a Navy Lieutenant as a murderer and a pedophile."

Gibbs said nothing, waited for the director to continue.

"People are getting nervous. Important people."

Gibbs closed the door as Vance sat down behind his desk.

"What would you have me do, Leon? Pretend like there is nothing wrong? Call my agents off the case and let a little girl die?"

Vance picked up a toothpick and started chewing on it.

"I never suggested that. You know how this will look if it gets out. A Navy lieutenant as a pedophile."

"You know, we like to think that they're above this stuff, but come on Leon, we know they're not."

Vance sighed, "I am just letting you know that people are getting nervous."

"About what?" Gibbs leaned with both hands on the desk, "Why are they getting nervous? That the Navy will look bad and they might lose some funding?

I don't give a damn about their pockets. There is a little girl out there who could be dead very soon, if she's not already. I don't have time to worry about politics."

Vance said nothing and Gibbs took that as his chance to leave. He slammed the door on the way out, angry that he was being bothered with idiotic political worries.

* * *

Tony and Ziva moved behind the house, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Tony," Ziva looked over the ground, "Does the ground seem higher over there to you?"

Tony followed her gaze, "Yeah."

Neither of them moved for a moment, staring at the mound that rose slightly higher than the rest of the ground.

Ziva began digging first, not sure she wanted to find whatever was underneath the dirt. It wasn't long before they saw something white.

She knelt down and gently brushed the dirt away, revealing a partially decomposed hand.

"Call Ducky. We are going to need another body bag."

* * *

She was scared, like she never had been before. He had never shouted so much before, and now he was saying scary things, things like 'kill' and 'die'. She hadn't ever heard him this angry before, even when he had taken her out of the mall, he hadn't been angry.

Now he was driving fast, and yelling, but she wasn't sure that he was yelling at her. He hadn't mentioned her name in a long time.

She wanted to open her eyes, keeping them closed forced her to see the awful red blood that had been on the floor, but she thought it was safer to keep them closed, so he wouldn't know she was awake.

He was yelling now about people catching him and she began praying silently that someone would catch him.

Almost as if her prayers had been answered, she heard sirens, like a police car and suddenly the car was filled with much louder and more violent words.

* * *

"Boss! We've got a hit on the BOLO. Some local leos saw the car driving down an old highway, they tried to stop him."

Gibbs swung around from where he had been watching Ducky dig up the remains of a little girl.

"And?"

"They put out the spike strips and forced him to stop. He jumped out of the car and yelled that she was dying and took off running."

"I don't want to hear that the bastard got away."

McGee flinched. "He got away. They were worried about the girl."

"She alive?"

"Yes, they took her to the hospital, she's doing well so far. They've got a counselor and her parents with her."

"They get her statement?"

McGee shook his head, "She doesn't know anything."

"What about Martin?"

"We're not sure where he is."

* * *

Abby woke up to find Gibbs standing in front of her.

"Did we catch him?"

He shook his head.

"He got away, but we have the girl. She's with her parents at the hospital."

Abby smiled, "Good."

"Let's go Abs."

She looked at him, puzzled.

He chuckled, "I'm driving you home."

"What time is it?"

"Too late for you to drive yourself but too early for you start working again. Let's go."

Abby stood, stretching. She grabbed her purse and followed Gibbs out to his car, smiling as he held the door open for her, only closing it once she was inside.

She fell asleep on the ride to her apartment, and only woke up when he turned off the car.

"Need help getting inside?"

She shook her head.

"I can make it. Thank you for driving me home."

He smiled, "Thank you for doing such good work."

Before she could answer, he leaned over and kissed her.

It was a simple, short kiss. The kind that would leave her thinking about more until she experienced more.

He ran a hand across her cheek, "Get some sleep. I'll pick you up in the morning."

She smiled at him, tiredly getting out of the car. She stumbled up to her apartment and fumbled to unlock the door.

It wasn't until she opened the door that she realized something was wrong. There was an unexpected light in the room. Always concerned about conserving the earth, she never left even a single light on.

Her first instinct was to run, but it was too late. She fumbled in her purse for her phone, managing to hit one of the buttons, hoping it was a speed dial to someone who would answer the phone.

"Help!" She was so tired, her voice was barely loud enough for her to hear.

**Shorter chapter. Hope you enjoy! I really appreciate all the reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ziva's phone rang, and Tony looked at the clock to double check the time. It was late, only family would be calling this late.

Unless it was a boyfriend.

He couldn't resist and jumped up to see who was calling.

The screen said it was Abby. Hadn't Gibbs driven Abby home awhile ago?

Tony frowned and answered the phone, "Abby?"

No one answered, instead he heard the sounds of scuffling in the background.

He could hear Abby's voice, far away, screaming.

"Help!"

Then everything was silent.

"What are you doing with my phone?"

Ziva grabbed the phone from him and he stared at her before launching himself to his own desk and grabbing his phone to call Gibbs.

"Abby just called! Something happened over there at her apartment! I heard her screaming!"

Ziva and McGee were staring at him, open mouthed.

"We'll meet you there."

Tony hung up and looked at the other two.

"Let's go."

* * *

When they arrived at Abby's apartment, Gibbs was on the phone, shouting at someone. Tony looked over the scene, Abby's purse and phone laying in the middle of the hall, her door open, keys still in the lock.

Tony side stepped the door and entered the apartment, automatically bringing a hand up to his nose as a wave of very strong men's cologne hit him. He had smelled it before.

_*"What is that awful smell? Have you been bathing in aftershave again McSmelly?" _

_Tim rolled his eyes, "It's not me." _

_Tony turned around to look at Ziva, _

"_Dear god Ziva, it's obviously a men's cologne, why are you wearing it?" _

_Ziva narrowed her eyes at Tony. _

"_I am not wearing it. It is that man over there." _

_Tony looked in the direction she was pointing. A tall man was standing next to Director Vance, talking lowly. _

"_Who is that?" _

_McGee lowered his voice, "The newest Sexual Harassment teacher." _

_Tony contemplated the man, "Do you think I could claim sexual harassment because of his cologne?" _

_Ziva chuckled, "I do not think so." *_

Tony rushed out of the room, knocking McGee to the ground,

"Boss! I remember where I saw him!"

Gibbs stared at him, "Explain."

"Lieutenant Martin! I knew I had seen him before, and the cologne, he's the guy who gave us the sexual harassment briefing three months ago."

"That would explain how he knew who to go after." Ziva was frowning as she spoke,

"Take one of our people and maybe he gets a deal."

* * *

When Abby opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the sunlight streaming in the car. She tried to sit up, not remembering where she was, remembering only that she had been in Gibbs' car at some point.

"Gibbs?"

She squinted her eyes to try and see, but the sun was too bright.

"No, no, I'm not your Gibbs. I'm someone far worse. I'm going to kill you."

Abby blinked again and tried to hide the rising fear.

"You're the man who took the little girls."

"I loved them, that's all I did."

The images of the body of the other little girl rose to her mind and she glared at him.

"You killed at least one! That's not loving."

There was no reply.

"Where are we going?"

Still no reply.

Abby laid back down, deciding that if she had to go with him, it wouldn't be her choosing.

"I want to go home."

When he didn't reply, she decided to get nasty.

"Take me home! Now! I don't want to go anywhere with you, you smell awful!"

It was the meanest thing she could think of, but it worked.

He turned around to look at her, "You're never going home. Never. You're going to die and no one will find you. And if they do, they won't know who you are."

She could see something terrible in his eyes, and it frightened her.

"Please let me go."

He returned his gaze to the road, not answering.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold on to the last memory she had of Gibbs. He was supernatural, if he could tell when the results were ready, surely he could hear her calling for him.

She thought his name as loud as she could, chanting it silently over and over. Nothing happened.

Abby willed herself not to cry, it wouldn't do any good.

Sometime later, Martin pulled the car over and turned to face her.

"We are going to go into the hotel, and you are not going to say a word. Do you understand me? One word and you will die and anyone else in the lobby will die too."

Abby nodded.

He unbound her feet and yanked her out of the car. They walked inside, his arm around hers, holding her to him.

Everyone was smiles and laughter as he got a room.

"Your girl okay?"

Martin sighed and shook his head, "No, she's not doing so well. Her favorite aunt died yesterday, we're on the way to the funeral."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's been very hard on her."

Martin took the room card and pulled the car around in front of the room.

He shoved her inside and tied her up to the bed, making sure she couldn't move.

"I'll be back. Don't go anywhere." His words were taunting and tears came to her eyes as he gagged her, ensuring no one would hear her.

* * *

"Damn it! I want answers!" Gibbs was storming through the bull pen, rage on his face.

"Boss, he doesn't seem to own any property other than the land his house is on."

Tony stood up, "A dark blue mustang was stolen yesterday, about three blocks from Abby's house, right around the time she was taken. There's a BOLO out on it now."

Ziva frowned, "Why would he take a mustang?"

Tony clicked a button and pictures of the car appeared on the screen, "There's no backseat in this one, just a small space where he could hide her. No one would look back there, no one would see her."

Gibbs strode past them to the elevator, hitting the button as hard as he could.

He made it to the autopsy room without breaking the elevator and stormed in, glaring at Palmer.

"Ah, Jethro. Just in time. This poor girl was smothered, most likely by a pillow."

The ME turned to look at Gibbs, "Any sign of our girl?"

"None."

"We'll find her Jethro."

"We'd better find her alive."

The ME closed his eyes briefly before continuing.

"There's nothing this poor dear can tell us that we don't already know. Once we've determined who she is, we'll release her to the funeral home."

Gibbs looked at Palmer, "Get samples to McGee."

"Yes sir."

His cell rang. "Yeah."

"We got a hit on the BOLO, the car is over seven hours away, in the outskirts of Dayton Ohio. Local leos are looking for it. We got a hit off a traffic cam."

"Find us a plane and a rental car."

"On it boss."

* * *

McGee was in Abby's lab, rushing around to get things done.

"Tim, you stay here and take care of things. Be ready if we need you."

McGee nodded, "Find her boss."

"We will."

* * *

Abby woke up to Martin untying her arms, they were sore and she let them drop to the bed, crying out in pain. He helped her sit up and tied her arms to her sides.

He undid her ponytails and pulled her hair back into one ponytail, and before she could react, he cut it off.

She started crying as she saw the long black hair thrown into the trash.

"I told you, no one will recognize you."

He untied her legs and led her into the bathroom. He shoved her on the toilet seat and pulled out a box of hair dye.

Abby began fighting, trying to get away, but he was stronger than her and overpowered her easily. He hit her hard, causing her to fall unconscious.

She woke nearly thirty minutes later, as he was beginning to wash her hair in the sink. When he finished, he stood her up and turned her to look in the mirror.

"They'll be looking for a girl with black hair, no one will notice a girl with… well, this color."

He had obviously tried to dye her hair red, but instead her hair, what was left of it, had come out an awkward brownish red. She burst into tears, and he glared at her.

"Oh shut up. No one cares. You'll be dead soon anyway."

He reached out and touched her spider web tattoo.

"It's a pity I can't remove this."

He left and came back with a bundle of clothes.

"Put these on, whichever ones fit."

He untied her and left the room.

Abby stared at her reflection in the mirror. She looked awful. If she ever got away from this- she stopped and tried again- when she got away from this, she would go to a salon and have them fix it.

Surely it could somehow be cute until her hair grew back.

She would simply wear a lot of hats.

Her mind made up, she dug through the clothes, seeing very quickly that he had chosen only turtlenecks and high collared shirts, with very ugly jeans.

She picked the best out of the pile and got dressed slowly, using the toilet when she was done.

An idea came to her, and she grabbed the dye bottle and moving quickly, she ducked under the sink, drawing a large A using what was left of the awful hair dye.

She put the bottle back and made sure her hands were clean before leaving the restroom.

**Chapter 4 done. =D Thanks for all the reviews!**


	5. Chapter 5

"We found the car, it's at a hotel, about twenty minutes away." They got directions from the police chief and headed that way.

Gibbs followed the other two agents into the hotel lobby, watching as Tony flashed his badge.

"We're looking for a man and a woman, she has black hair, most likely in ponytails. He drove a blue mustang."

The clerk nodded, "Yes, they were here, about five hours ago. The girl, Mrs. Hilton, was crying a lot. He said she just lost her favorite aunt."

Tony wrote this down, "Uh-huh."

"Weird thing is, they left awful fast, only spent about five hours here. He came in about thirty minutes ago and dropped off the keys, said that her aunt took a turn for the worse, and they had to leave right away. Not sure how a dead aunt could get worse."

"I need the room keys. Now."

The clerk handed them over without another word and Tony spun around,

"Got the keys boss, let's go."

* * *

"Empty." Ziva pursed her lips in frustration.

"We knew they were gone. He said they were gone."

"That does not mean I did not want to find her here."

Gibbs had stopped at the bed and looking over the room, a far away look in his eyes.

"There is hair dye in the bathroom." Ziva was holding a bottle of hair dye in her gloved hand.

"What color?"

"The box says Ravishing Red."

"He dyed her hair?"

"And cut it."

Gibbs was holding a thick clump of black hair.

"It was in the trashcan." There was a hardened look in Gibbs' eyes.

"Get this back to McGee, make sure it's hers."

Tony took the hair and hurried out of the room, Gibbs looked at Ziva.

"What are you standing around for? We need to find her!"

"If the mustang is out there, then he must have taken a different car. I will canvas the area and see who is missing a car."

When Ziva left Gibbs sank to the ground, next to the bed.

"_Abby, where are you?" _No answer came to him and he let his head fall into his hands.

* * *

Ziva had found the people who were now missing a car.

"You're saying that someone stole my car! What the hell? Why didn't you stop them?"

Ziva set her teeth. "We did not see them steal it! Your car is the only one missing. I need to know what kind of car it was, and the license plate."

"I want to talk to the cops! I ain't never heard of this NCIS stuff. I want the real cops!"

Ziva threw her hands up, "Fine! You will get the 'real' cops!"

She stalked away, hoping that the front office had a copy of this customer's information and was willing to give it to her without a hassle.

The front lobby was empty, except for the clerk.

"I need the information the guest in room two-seventeen."

The clerk looked at her, "I don't know if I can give you that."

Ziva slammed her fists on the counter, "Their car has been stolen by a suspect, and I need the information to make sure it is found!"

"I mean, I think I might need a warrant or something."

"My friend has been taken by the person driving that car. If she dies because you won't help me, I will see to it that you regret this for the rest of your very short life!"

The clerk gulped nervously then began typing.

"It's a 1992 silver sedan, four door, license plate is 034-FGT."

Ziva put out a bolo on the information and went to find Tony.

* * *

Feeling very much like a shorn sheep being led to an altar, Abby walked slowly, trying to delay the inevitable as long as she could. He was going to kill her, that she was sure of.

She hadn't given up, but she didn't know what to do. If she were Ziva, or Tony, she could get away, but she had almost no formal training.

There was only one thing left that she could do, hit him and run. Her legs were tied together, loosened just enough that she could walk and her arms were bound together in front of her.

She doubted that she could run, but she was willing to try.

"_You'll never succeed if you don't try." _The words came to her and she nearly stopped walking. It was Kate's voice and suddenly knew she wasn't alone.

He shoved her to make sure she didn't stop walking.

The highway was only a few yards behind them, but the brush and trees were thick. If she could avoid tripping and falling, she could make it to the highway.

She could still hear the cars moving by, surely someone would see her, and stop to help her. All she had to do was hit him hard enough to stun him, even for an instant.

When he stumbled slightly, she took the chance and swung hard, hitting him across the face.

He stepped back slightly from the impact and she moved as quickly as she could half screaming, half crying.

Abby didn't look behind her, didn't want to see if he was following her, didn't want to see him kill her.

She nearly tripped once, barely managed to keep her balance before continuing on.

She could see the highway, the cars rushing by.

She could hear him coming closer, she moved faster in the weird almost run she was doing.

"HELP!" Her voice seemed to get lost in all the noise, she tried again.

"HELP!"

She doubted that anyone could hear her, much less see her. There was still too much brush.

She felt the back of her shirt being grabbed and she struggled against him, trying to hit him again. She managed to get in a few blows, but he easily overpowered her and she fell to the ground, him pinning her down.

"Stupid bitch. That's not how it's going to work." He got up and dragged her up.

Leaves and sticks stuck to her clothes and what was left of her hair.

Abby had been so close to freedom, almost there, she wasn't going to let him just drag her back.

She started struggling again, causing to let go of her for an instant. She was rewarded with a sharp blow to her mouth, causing her to taste the rusty, bitter taste of blood.

She started laughing when she saw the blood on his hand, hysteria rising within.

"You have my blood on your hand, they'll match it and you'll die."

He glared at her and the wiped the blood on her shirt.

"_Leave as much forensic evidence as you can." _Kate's voice again.

Flailing wildly, she managed to claw his arms with her nails. He hit her again, hard.

She was still laughing, and he made the mistake of letting her arm get close to her face.

She bit him as hard as she could, spitting when she tasted blood.

"That's for the girls you hurt!"

They were farther back in the woods now, she could only barely hear the sounds of the highway.

He cussed loudly, but she wasn't paying attention.

"You can kill me, but I won, my DNA is all over your arm now. I left a souvenir, and they'll find you now."

He struck her again and again. She didn't count the blows, instead did her best to fight back until she felt so weak and dizzy that she couldn't keep her eyes open.

When he let go of her, she fell to the ground, barely conscious.

* * *

"_Hello Abby." Kate was helping her stand._

"_Kate?" Abby's voice rose, "Kate, am I dead?" _

_Kate shook her head, "No, but you are very hurt." _

_The two women hugged for a long moment then pulled away. _

"_I… Can see him." Abby looked down, fear creeping into her voice._

"_Yes, you can see what's going on." _

"_Can he hear us?" _

"_None of them can. We're invisible to them." _

"_Are we real?" _

_Kate laughed softly, "As real as could be." _

"_What are we?"_

_Kate shrugged, "I don't know. But I have been sent to help you, so I will stay with you. Because you are still alive, you must stay here, with your body. You will follow it, wherever it goes. At least until you die or get better." _

"_If I die?" _

"_You come with me. And if you get better, you will get to rejoin your body." _

_Abby had never felt so helpless, "How do I tell Gibbs where I am? I'm not ready to die yet."_

_Kate shook her head sadly, "We don't get that choice Abby." _

_Abby looked down at her body, crying._

"_He really did a number on me." _

_Kate nodded in agreement. _

"_He did." _

_Abby looked away from the ground where her would-be killer was covering her with dirt._

"_What do I do now?" _

_Kate reached out to grab Abby's hand. _

"_We wait." _

**One more chapter finished! As a note, I debated for a long time on cutting Abby's hair… I finally decided that it would be slightly more realistic if she didn't come through this perfectly fine. Don't worry, it will all work out in the end! Loving the reviews! Thanks everyone!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Car spotted on the side of the highway. Let's go."

Gibbs got in the driver's seat and waited for the other to figure out where they were going to sit.

"Mile marker forty-two. Keep your eyes peeled."

Ziva, sitting in the front, called out, "Mile marker forty-one!"

Gibbs slowed to a crawl, then parked between the two markers.

"Spread out, if he left her here, she could be anywhere."

"Local police are on their way to help us."

It was not long before Ziva cried out, "I have found something!"

Gibbs and Tony ran to find her.

She was kneeling next to a mound of dirt, scratching at it with her hands, trying to move it.

Tony and Gibbs began helping, chucking dirt over their shoulders as fast as they could.

Tony reached her first, her pale white arm laying limply on the ground,

"Boss.. I.."

"Keep digging."

Tony ignored that and tried to find a pulse, "I think she's still alive!"

He resumed digging and within seconds they had Abby completely uncovered.

"Oh, Abby…" Tony stared at his best friend, trying his hardest not to cry.

Gibbs felt the air rush from his lungs. She was badly beaten, her skin odd colors, and her hair. He reached out and ran a hand over the short, awkwardly colored hair.

Ziva was on the phone, calling an ambulance. Gibbs stood and stormed towards the police that were headed their way.

"Find the bastard. Now."

As quickly as they had come, they left, on the hunt for the man who had very nearly killed Abby. Gibbs knelt by the woman he loved,

"Abby, you've got to come back. Stay with me. Please."

_Hovering about the scene, Abby was sobbing, Kate holding her. _

"_He needs me, I need to go to him. How do I do it?" _

"_I'm so sorry Abby, there's no way, not until it's time." _

"_I want it to be time now!" _

_Abby was screaming, she needed to hug them, to help them all. _

"_Abby. Listen to me." _

_Abby stopped and looked at Kate._

"_Try to calm down, you can't help them if you're going into hysterics. Keep calm and we'll see what happens." _

_Abby nodded, trying to stop the tears that were running down her cheeks. _

_Tony was taking pictures of Abby's face, presumably sending them to McGee. _

_Piercing sirens filled the air and Abby turned to see paramedics running into the field. _

"_Maybe they'll save me!" _

_Kate smiled, "I hope so."_

"_What if they don't?" _

_Kate's smiled faded slightly._

"_Then you'll come with me." _

_Abby tried to not to think about leaving Kate, or leaving Gibbs. _

"_I wish you could come back."_

_Kate smiled at Abby, "Don't worry about me. I'm happy here." _

Gibbs had not left Abby's side since she had been transported to her room. He had been forced to leave her when they took her into the ER, but he wouldn't do it again.

She hadn't woken up, and almost no brain waves were registering on the monitor, but she hadn't died yet so the doctors were optimistic.

Tony was on the phone with Ducky, trying to convince him to stay in D.C. but it didn't sound as if it was working.

Gibbs was catching snippets of the conversation, and Ducky was definitely not staying put.

He insisted that Abby needed him, so he and McGee were flying out first thing in the morning.

The police had yet to catch Martin, but it was only a matter of time. Martin while disturbed and abusive, was not smart and had only one bank account, which had been frozen.

It wouldn't be long before he tried something drastic and stupid to get money. They would catch him.

Gibbs looked over at Abby, the doctors had said that once she was clearly out of the woods, her hair could be dyed black.

He couldn't imagine how terrible it must have been for her part with her hair, and then have it dyed. The thought of how she must have felt made him feel sick inside.

The doctor had said to try talking to her, sometimes that would help, so Gibbs cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Abby? Wake up. We need you."

She didn't respond in any way and he felt his heart grow heavy.

"Boss?" Tony ducked into the room, "Ducky and McGee are on the way, I tried to convince Ducky to stay, but he won't cancel his reservations."

Gibbs nodded. "Maybe it will help."

Tony looked at Abby,

"Do you think she'll wake up?"

Gibbs nodded.

"I hope so."

Tony sank into a chair, "I wonder what it's like, if she can hear us, or if she can see us."

Gibbs shot the senior agent a look, "Her eyes are closed, DiNozzo."

Tony grinned sheepishly. "True."

_Abby stood, well, hovered, over the room, watching as Gibbs and Tony talked. _

"_I'm ready to go home Kate." _

_Tears were pouring down Abby's cheeks._

"_Home with them, or home with me?" _

_Abby struggled for a minute then spoke, "With you. I'm not going to wake up, am I? It's not fair to them, to keep them waiting." _

_Kate shook her head, "You don't get a choice Abby. You have to wait."_

_Abby glared at the ground. "I don't like waiting. I want to go somewhere. I can't bear to watch this any longer." _

_Kate sighed, "Your body isn't ready for you yet. It can't cope with your thoughts while it tries to fix itself. Give it time." _

"_How long do I wait?" _

"_It's hard to tell. Some people are only like this for a few days, some for years. Some wake up fine, some never wake up." Kate shrugged._

_Abby plopped herself down, still hovering above the scene below, but sitting now. _

A doctor entered the room. "Special Agent Gibbs, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"In private?" The doctor looked at Tony.

"Whatever you need to tell me, you can tell to my agent."

"Fine. Miss Sciuto has yet to wake up. We need to start discussing options."

Gibbs wasn't sure he liked hearing this. "Like what?"

"If she doesn't wake up in the next few days there's a large chance she won't wake up at all. Her injuries, while they look bad, are not so bad that she can't wake up."

Gibbs was on his feet, staring at the doctor, "You were optimistic earlier, weren't you? She's going to wake up!"

The doctor held up his hands, "We can't be sure of that. She's not showing any brain activity, there's a possibility that whatever happened to her left her brain dead, unable to wake up."

"Fine. Suppose she stays like this for a while. What are the options?"

"We move her to a private room and monitor her. If she doesn't improve, you have two options, keep her on the machines or take her off."

Tony frowned, "But those machines are keeping her alive. They're breathing for her, if she's taken off, she'll die."

The doctor shrugged slightly, "Technically, her brain is already dead. Unofficially, she's completely dead, only alive because of the machines."

"She's not dead." Gibbs was looking at the girl he loved.

"She's not dead, we're keeping her on the machines. Didn't one of you say that her body just needed time to heal, time to recover?"

"Agent Gibbs, it's been three days. Her bruises are fading and her wounds are healing. Other than some internal bruising, there's nothing else hurting her. If she doesn't wake up soon, she might never wake up. Her insurance will not pay for her to stay on the machines for longer than six weeks, unless we can prove that she's making progress."

"Then I'll pay for it."

The doctor nodded and left the room.

Gibbs turned to look at Tony, "This is the right thing to do."

Tony nodded, realizing that Gibbs was looking for confirmation.

**I am sorry about not updating sooner, life has gotten in the way, I've been really busy lately. But, here is another chapter. =) **


	7. Chapter 7

_Abby looked down at her body, wondering if she would ever wake up. Wondering if she would ever be able to hug Gibbs again, or feel him kiss her on the cheek again. _

_As she stood, silently crying, she felt herself being pulled away, she turned to see if Kate was behind her, but there was no one. _

_She knew instantly what was happening, she was crossing over, moving into the light. She tried to fight it, pushing herself towards Gibbs, but it was no use. _

_Everything around her, the hospital room, the people, the sounds, were fading. _

_She found herself in a room that looked as though it were made of glass. The walls were a beautiful blue color, and she walked forward, slowly, not sure where she was._

_It seemed so wonderful, that suddenly, she didn't want to leave. The thoughts and memories of Gibbs and the team were fading, but she didn't mind. _

_It was so calm and peaceful, and there was something about this place that made her want to stay forever. _

"_Abigail." _

_She tried to find the source of the sound, but it seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once. _

_She cleared her throat and tried to speak. _

"_Y-yes?" _

"_You have loved them well. Each of them. For this, you will go back them. To him."_

Abby felts herself gasping, sputtering, trying to breathe and failing. Someone was shouting, it sounded like Gibbs.

Then she was breathing, her throat and lungs burning as she inhaled and exhaled. One breath after another, until she was breathing evenly.

Words were being spoken, but they were jumbled. She tried concentrate on them, figure out if they were jumbled before they reached her ears or after.

'Ocusf." That wasn't right. The word was wrong.

She concentrated on breathing again, realizing that she had stopped.

Someone was touching her throat and then an excruciating pain burned through her throat and she stopped breathing again, trying to fade into the blackness.

The pain stopped and started breathing again, still not understanding the words.

She experimentally thought about the words, trying to keep breathing as she did so.

It worked. She began to think harder, still letting part of her brain focus on breathing.

"Focus." The words around her were making sense.

Abby could hear the beeping of machines, footsteps, someone saying her name, over and over.

"Ahh-bee."

She forced the word into it's proper constraints, it was her name. She knew that.

"Abby."

"Abby, answer me."

She experimented with the words, "An-sir. Me."

They played over and over again in her mind until they had lost all sound.

Then she realized what it meant, he, she was sure the speaker was a man, wanted her to respond.

She wasn't sure she could, so she settled for taking inventory of her body.

Her throat was sore, but other than that, there weren't any other aches and pains that she could find.

She realized she was running her tongue against her teeth and this pleased her, she could move.

She willed herself to move her toes, her legs.

"Her legs! They're moving!"

The exclamation was music to her ears, she could move!

She willed her fingers to move, then her hands and her arms.

Finally, she opened her eyes.

Gibbs face swam above her, blurry. She blinked several times, then he was sharp and clear.

"Abby?" He was holding her hand, looking at her intensely, and she could see the worry in his eyes.

She moved her mouth carefully, moving her tongue slowly, testing it out.

"Guh." The sound of the G stumbled off her tongue, and she swallowed, ignoring the ache in her throat, before she tried again.

"Guh. Ih." The sounds came out unfamiliar and foreign to her tongue.

What was the next sound? She frowned, trying to remember.

She forced herself to breathe again and started again.

"Guh, Ih, B." That was it!

"G-i-bb-s."

He was grinning at her, "You can speak."

She smiled at him, once again trying to form the words first in her mind then with her tongue. "Uh…Hers. Others."

Gibbs smiled, "They're fine. Tony's downstairs getting a drink, Ziva and Tim will be here soon."

"Wa-ter." He reached for a small white paper cup and helped her take a sip. It rushed down her throat, cooling her throat momentarily as it went.

A man with a white coat stood on the other side of her, she realized that he was a doctor.

"Miss Scuito, how are you feeling?"

"O-kay." She still wasn't satisfied with how slow her words came out.

"You sound good. Don't worry, your speech will improve. Would you like to try sitting up?"

"No. Stand up."

Gibbs laughed, "That's my girl. Sit first. Then stand."

She wanted to frown at him, but he had called his girl, so she just let the doctor move the bed to a sitting position.

Gibbs let go of her hand and stood. "I'm going to go find Tony. I'll be right back."

Abby waited as the doctor performed various tests on her, shining light in her eyes, checking her pulse and blood pressure.

She heard the sound of feet pounding in the hallway and Tony burst into the room, his face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning.

"Abby! You're back! I mean, not that you were gone, but you're back!"

Abby felt her chest moving and a strange noise came from her mouth and she realized she was laughing. The thought that she was startled at her own laugh made her laugh more.

"Tony."

"Yes, it's me. How are you? Tired? Hungry?"

Abby smiled at him, glad to see that he was his usual hyper self.

"Want to go home."

Tony grinned. "Yeah, soon, I'm sure."

He turned to look at Gibbs, "Boss, when can we get her out of here?"

Gibbs shrugged, "As soon as the doctor says."

The doctor looked her over, "I'd say in two to three days, as long as she continues to improve and depending if she can walk."

Tony's face fell. "But… James Bond marathon, tonight! Who's going to watch it with me?"

The doctor just stared at him.

Abby pointed to the tv in the room. "We can watch here."

"But, I have the big tv, popcorn, dimming lights, no interruptions!" Tony looked upset that he'd have to watch the marathon in a noisy hospital, with a small tv and nurses coming in and out.

As a striking blonde nurse entered the room, Tony shrugged, obviously checking her out. "I guess it can't be too bad…"

Gibbs chuckled and moved to make room for Ziva and McGee who had just gotten back from lunch.

Joyful shouts of Abby were heard as McGee hastened to the bed, eager to hug his friend. Ziva waited patiently until McGee was done then moved forward to gently hug Abby.

"I am glad you are better."

Abby smiled, "Thank you."

She brought a hand up to scratch her head and stopped, remembering the mess that had once been her hair.

She slowly moved her hand up and found her fingers touching curls.

Startled she pulled her hand away.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Three days."

She frowned and touched her hair again.

Tony grinned and grabbed a mirror to show her.

Where the awful red color had been there were now black curls.

"A wig?"

Gibbs nodded. "Until you get your hair back."

She felt tears rise to her eyes, "Thanks."

Her hair had always grown quickly, so she was sure that it wouldn't take long to grow back.

McGee carefully set a laptop in her lap, a program up and running.

Abby saw her mother, crying on the screen. _"Momma? I'm okay." _

"_I know baby, the man with silver hair told me, your boss?" _

"_Yes." _

"_Are you okay my baby? Did they…" _

"_No momma, they didn't. I'm okay. I'm going home in a few days."_

"_Home here or home there?" _

"_Home to Washington, I have work, Momma."_

"_Baby, no, you can't go to work, this could happen again!" _

"_No, momma, Gibbs won't let it. Neither will Tony, you know Tony." _

"_I know, I know. Promise you'll email me everyday?" _

"_Of course. I'm tired Momma, I will talk to you later. Okay?" _

"_Okay, I love you baby."_

"_I love you too." _

Abby closed the laptop and waited as McGee took it back.

"Can I have some food?" She glanced around the room.

"Jello?"

Gibbs opened a red jello container and handed her a plastic spoon.

She took the spoon and the jello and carefully took a bite.

"You owe me dinner."

Gibbs frowned, trying to remember when he'd promised her dinner.

"I do?"

She nodded.

"I want steak. A giant juicy steak covered with toppings."

He laughed,

"Fine, dinner. Once you're better."

"I'm hungry now."

"Jello. Maybe soup later."

She glared at him, "Steak. Now."

He reached to tug on one of her curls,

"Demanding will get you nothing."

"A hamburger then?"

"If you keep the jello down."

She grinned like a chesire cat.

**I think this is so far my favorite chapter. Hope you enjoy it! I'm actually working on some other story ideas, so look for new stories coming out soon. =) **


	8. Chapter 8

Abby stepped out of the shower carefully, wrapping a plush black towel around herself. She used one hand to wipe a circle in the condensation on the mirror and grinned at her reflection.

Her hair was still very short, but it was close to all the same length finally, and it was curling down around her chin nicely.

As soon as she had gotten home, she had dyed her hair black, and then proceeded to wear the wig every day.

The first few weeks, she had moved slower than usual, but as she fell back into the swing of things, she had gotten back up to her old speed, and was just as bubbly on the outside as she had been.

Inside, she was a mess. She never went home until she absolutely had to, and when she did go home, she kept every light in the apartment on, hating the thought of the darkness closing in on her.

It was so odd for her, to be frightened of the darkness, and she had to remind herself that she wasn't afraid of the darkness, she was afraid of what could be lurking in the darkness.

She had never been afraid as a child, and the sensation of fear, when she was in her own home, was disconcerting to her.

Gibbs had made her talk to a counselor as soon as they got back, and she had spent a night with Ziva, until she demanded that they go back to their lives and let her go back to hers.

Reluctantly, they stepped back and she had been grateful at the time. Now she just wanted the nightmares to stop.

Abby hadn't slept through the night in weeks, when she finally fell asleep, clutching Bert, wishing very much that he was Gibbs, she would wake up screaming, visions of a faceless man coming for her.

She refused to tell it to anyone, not wanting to seem weak. One mention of it and Gibbs would be sure to make her go back to counseling.

What she wanted was for him to hug her, hold her at night when she was scared. He had been strictly professional with her since their return, even more so now than ever before.

She didn't know what she had done, didn't know why he would go for days without coming to see her.

Tomorrow she intended on going to talk to Ducky. He would know what to do, he always did.

The thought of seeing Ducky brought a smile to her face and she dried off and got dressed in her favorite pair of pajamas and sat down on the couch to watch a James Bond movie.

There was never a night when the bourbon didn't help. Especially on nights like this, when he wanted to do nothing more than get in the car and go see Abby.

Go tell her how scared he had been when she was taken, go tell her how he felt.

He already knew what he was going to say. He'd had it planned out since they got back.

But she didn't seem to want any help. She came to work everyday, bubbly and bright, just like nothing had ever happened, but he wasn't a fool.

He could see the sadness she tried to hide, the fear that settled in her eyes.

Gibbs had been avoiding her, it was too hard to see her and not take her into his arms and try to save her.

He wasn't even sure she wanted to be saved.

The morgue was brightly lit and Ducky was sitting at his desk, writing something when she stepped in.

"Ducky? Can I talk to you?"

He turned around in his chair, beaming.

"Abigail! Of course you can, my dear. Please, sit."

He pulled out another chair and waited as she sat down, adjusting her longer than usual skirt.

"What's on your mind my dear?"

Abby sighed and looked at her hands before looking up and speaking.

"I think I'm in love with Gibbs."

Ducky arched an eyebrow.

She corrected herself.

"I don't think, I know I am."

Once she started, it was easy to speak, the words tumbling out.

"It's just, I don't know if he likes me, and it'd be weird to be like, "Oh, I'm in love with you bossman" and he'd be like, "I don't think I like you Abs." and we'd have to work together for forever, and it'd be weird. See? Rule twelve makes perfect sense. I can't sleep at night, and all I can think about is him, but…"

Ducky had raised a hand and waited for her to stop before he started.

"You haven't been sleeping at night?"

"No… Too many nightmares, and I'm…" She felt foolish saying it.

"Scared?"

She nodded.

"That is not at all unusual. I myself have had the same problem many times. Why, even just recently…" He stopped suddenly and smiled at her.

"I've seen the way he looks at you, Abigail. There is no doubt in my mind that he is in love with you."

"You think so? He's been avoiding me. I don't know why. Maybe he thinks it's my fault. Maybe he hates me." Her voice was rising, but Ducky simply raised an eyebrow.

She laughed slightly, "Okay, that does sound silly."

He chuckled. "Have you talked to him?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. Maybe I'll see if he wants to get dinner tonight."

"Do it, my dear. You won't regret it."

"Even if it's not the answer I want?"

"Then you will know and won't be in limbo any longer."

Abby leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks Ducky."

"And Abigail, it will just take time. You'll sleep again, eventually."

Abby smiled as she left the room.

Feeling better than she had in a while, Abby twirled into her lab, turning on her cd player.

As the music started filtering through, she busied herself cleaning the lab and her machines.

Gibbs had been avoiding her for days, and she was positive he wasn't going to stop anytime soon, so she was going to make the first move. And if it didn't work, then that was okay. She would deal with it.

She took the elevator up and came to a stop in front of his desk.

"Do you have plans tonight?"

He looked up at her, those beautiful eyes, staring up at her, making her want to kiss him.

"No."

She mustered up the courage she had left.

"Do you want to go to dinner with me tonight?"

Gibbs didn't hesitate before answering.

"Sure. I'll pick you up at eight."

Abby couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Okay, see you then."

Abby stared at herself in the mirror, wondering if Gibbs liked what he saw. It seemed silly, but she felt suddenly insecure.

She had gone with a spandex/cotton blend dress that was black, and fit over her nicely. She had found a bright red headband for her hair, and had applied a thick coat of red lipstick. It seemed over the top, but it was expected of her.

There was a knock on the door and she moved to open it, glancing around the apartment even though she knew it was clean.

Abby opened the door and looked at Gibbs.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded mutely, unsure of herself. He seemed to sense it, and he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek.

"Let's go Abs."

That helped and suddenly it was just like every other time he took her to dinner. She grabbed her purse and followed him, locking the door behind her.

As they walked to the car, she chattered about the usual things, but she could tell he could hear the off note in her voice.

Dinner was enjoyable, with Abby doing most of the talking, Gibbs occasionally interjecting.

It wasn't until after dinner was over, and they were at the car that Gibbs gently cut into her words.

"You okay Abs?"

Abby stopped talking and looked at him. Tears threatened to spill over.

"I'm so tired, I haven't slept in weeks, well, since before everything happened. And now you've been avoiding me, and I don't know why. I guess it's because you just want to be friends, and that's okay, I can be just friends, but you aren't even trying to be my friend. You're being someone I don't really know. I don't like it Gibbs, not at all."

Gibbs sighed.

"I have rules, Abs-"

"Yeah, but you don't follow all of them, all of the time!"

Gibbs set his stare on her.

"Are you going to let me finish?"

Silently she nodded, trying to stop the tears that were moving down her cheeks.

"Those rules are there for a reason, but I'm tired of fighting with myself."

Before she could say anything, he leaned in and kissed her.

**See? I still exist. I'm pretty much done with my college classes, so I have more time to write. Let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

It took her exactly ten seconds to realize what was going on before she kissed him back.

When they pulled away, he was breathing raggedly, and she could barely contain her happiness.

"Does this mean?"

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"My house?"

Instead of replying, she reached out to take his hand.

"It's time to go! We're going to be late!" Abby's words came to a halt when she saw him hunched over his boat.

"You're not ready. You don't plan on going. Gibbs!" She reverted back to his last name out of habit,

"This is important. The director said we HAD to be there. If we aren't there, we'll be in deep…" She trailed off as he looked up at her.

"Don't give me that look. We have to go. Get dressed, hurry."

He motioned for her to come down and she did, huffing her breath in frustration.

"You know, sometimes, you really-"

Gibbs rolled his eyes and pulled her close, kissing her hard.

They didn't have time for this and she tried to pull away, but it was no use and she found herself relaxing into it, moaning as he moved his hands over her.

He pushed her against the boat, pinning her so that she couldn't move.

He moved his mouth from hers, pulling down her panties, causing her to protest until he moved his mouth over her clit.

He flicked it gently, causing her to moan.

It's her breathy moan that undid him, and he moved back up her, unzipping his pants and entering her quickly.

She cried out, and for several moments they are a jumble of passion and sweaty limbs.

When it's over, they stand there, breathing heavy, Gibbs grinning like he's won a prize by distracting her until Abby also grins.

He raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"We have to leave in twenty minutes. Go get ready."

She laughed at his glare, knowing he's only mad because she out-smarted him this time.

"Hey." He stops at the top of the stairs and turns to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

She smiles, delighting in the fact, "I love you too."

**Okay, I know, it's super short, and I think some of tense is messed up, but oh well. This concludes my first long(ish) fic. There will be several more stories coming out soon, but I do have a question. In a Tony centric story, who do you prefer to see him paired up with? Abby? Ziva? Gibbs? McGee? I can write any of them, I'd just like to take a survey. **

**With that said, I bid you adieu until the next story. =) **


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